2013 high school football

SHIPPENSBURG -- CD East used the speed and quickness of tailback Chase Edmonds and a terrific effort from the defense in a 23-7 win over Shippensburg in Friday night's season opener at Memorial Park's Veterans Stadium. The Panthers (1-0), under new head coach Aaron Blanding, scored the game's first 17 points and never looked back.

Shippensburg scored a late first half touchdown to get within 17-7 after Seth Frey's 27-yard pass to Storm Fridinger. But in the second half, CD East forced one of seven Ship turnovers when linebacker Raekwon Banks came off the edge to sack Frey and force a fumble. On the ensuing play, quarterback Justis Jacobs fired a 32-yard touchdown pass to wideout Joe Lemelle to make it 23-7. Game over.

STARS AND STUDS

Edmonds was too much for the Greyhounds' defense to handle as he finished with 166 yards, including the nifty 17-yard touchdown that put Blanding's team in full control early in the second half. Quarterbacks Brandon Ross and Jacobs each tossed a touchdown pass and wideout Raekwon Purdy showed nice breakaway speed and finished with 84 yards on three catches with a touchdown.

NUMBERS GAME

Ross and Jacobs combined to pass for a modest 184 yards, but both signal callers hit the big plays when it counted. Shippensburg tailback William Burt accounted for himself nicely with 113 yards, but the Greyhounds (0-1) couldn't sustain enough drives or control enough possessions for Burt to impact the game.

BIG PICTURE

CD East was too athletic for a Shippensburg team that had to grind out too many possessions. Burt was able to break off some nice runs, but the Greyhounds couldn't find enough balance to slow down the Panthers' athleticism at linebacker. This East defense could be a hidden gem.

WHAT THEY SAID

"The biggest thing is that we kept our composure," said Edmonds.

"A lot of people said that we were going to fold if we started getting penalties on us. But we didn't let any of that bother us. I think the score could have been a lot more if we didn't have all of those penalties."

RAPID REACTION

This CD East club is loaded with potential. Edmonds is a star and as long he can stay healthy, the Panthers have a chance to be in most games. Once the quarterback situation gets settled, East has the speed at wideout to keep defenses honest. But they've got to clean up those penalties moving forward. Fifteen penalties for 125 yards will hurt you eventually.